Which Master's courses in France specialize in law and would best suit my 5-year BA LLB Honors degree and 8 years of legal experience, considering my interest in roles like corporate counsel or compliance?

With 8 years of legal experience behind a 5-year BA LL.B, the more useful question is not which second law degree to add, but which programme builds directly on international commercial, corporate or compliance work you can already do.

Why an LLM Beats Repeating a Law Degree

An English-taught LLM in International Business Law, at Assas University or Universite Jean Moulin Lyon 3, covers international contracts, M&A, capital markets, competition, financing and arbitration, all directly relevant to an in-house or cross-border legal career rather than requalifying as a French avocat.

Corporate Counsel Versus Compliance: Two Different Tracks

• Corporate counsel or in-house legal: Assas's LLM International Business Law or Lyon 3's LLM International and European Business Law, both English-taught and roughly 9 to 12 months.
• France or EU-facing in-house work: Assas's LLM French, European and International Business Law, useful if you will work directly with French-regulated entities.
• Compliance or regulatory: Paris-Saclay's M2 Business Criminal Law and Compliance, though it is French-taught, so your French proficiency becomes the deciding factor.

What Assas Actually Asks of a Non-French Law Graduate

Assas's own 2026-27 admissions information for the International Business Law LLM does not require a French law degree specifically. It accepts a law Masters or equivalent, and separately says applicants with another qualification plus at least 4 years of relevant professional experience may also be considered, which puts your 5-year BA LL.B and 8 years of practice comfortably inside its stated eligibility rather than at the margin of it.

This Information Is Also Available On

Universite Paris-Pantheon-Assas's own LLM International Business Law programme page, and Universite Jean Moulin Lyon 3's own LLM International and European Business Law page.

My Advice

Do not assume a French LLM automatically qualifies you to practice as a French avocat, since that is a separate professional-licensing question from the degree's academic value for in-house, compliance or cross-border counsel roles. With 8 years of experience, lead your application with measurable case or deal experience rather than academic transcripts alone.